Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Pours a great pitch black in color with a great tan (if bit small) head, and just a little bit of lacing. It has a wonderful scent, part coffee, part whiskey, part malt, part hop, a near perfectly balanced scent that ends with a sweet note, slighty more to the cocoa and bourbon side. Wonderful taste, the whiskey flavor is there, but not overly dominant like so many other such beers; it has a great slight coffee start with a wonderful dark, malty, old ale flavor, a nice sweet finish with a bit of hoppiness to tone it down. It goes down wonderfully smooth for such a bold beer, just a hair more bourbon in the finish that the 12. Absolutely freaking fantastic. (664 characters)

Ola Dubh 16 lets the imbiber know from the first whiff that something extraordinary is about to happen. There are, of course, several beers that boast having been aged in used whiskey/wine/scotch/rum/etc. casks, but few of those beers smell so intensely of the cask's former contents. Old Dubh's nose is a mixture of near-black ale, with dark caramel sugars, chocolate malt, peat, coffee, and tobacco aromas, mixed with the scent of aged whiskey and charcoal.

On the tongue, the ale is so immediately dark and foreboding that it's hard to imagine this was made out of grains, and not crafted directly from ash. Huge tobacco and coffee flavors dominate the taste, as well as peat and black malt, and a continuation of the whiskey charcoal from the nose. A good sampling of heavy sugars, port wine, and dark fruit esters (banana, fig, raisin) complement the bitter malts, barely balancing the brew. The aftertaste is a joy of tobacco and coffee, and lingers much like good whiskey. Mouthfeel is medium to medium-heavy, and carbonation is light.

Overall, while I can't say this beer is going to appeal to everyone--in fact, I doubt few will be able to enjoy its extraordinarily intense flavors--it is an amazing accomplishment. I doubt it's possible to cram more flavor into a bottle. (1,285 characters)

Poured a clear dark brown color from an 11.2 oz bottle (Aug 2010, bottle # 9989). Once in the glass it was absolutely pitch black with no light penetrating whatsoever. Lives up to the name 'ola dubh'. One finger mocha colored head that dissipated very slowly. Aroma is just fantastic. There is so much going on in the nose, upfront you get the scotch notes. Lots of peat, smoke, char with vanilla (and some wood phenolic components) and hints of alcohol sweetness, caramel malt notes intertwined with dark fruit, some chocolate and licorice notes. The aroma is strong, complex and at the same time it isn't overwhelming. Taste compliments the aroma almost to a tee. The peat and smoky character is evident up front. Wowzers !!! Coats the palate completely; rich and silky mouthfeel. This is just fantastic on the palate. The balance is almost close to perfection. The Old Engine Oil by itself is a fantastic beer, aging it in barrels used to age Highland Park scotch for 16 years just elevates it to a completely different level. There was almost no alcohol burn considering there were hints of it in the nose; the alcohol is very well masked. I don't think there are enough words to describe how good this beer is, suffice to say that I will not be forgetting this beer for a long, long time. Definitely worth a try, and is highly recommended. Slightly expensive, but it is worth every penny. It's a complete package; attractive packaging that holds a stellar product. (1,476 characters)

Bottle #07670 from 2007, I'll be serving this beer at cellar temperature in a Chimay chalice with crackers and havarti cheese. Much like a fine piece of heirloom furniture, the bottle is signed off on by the head brewer and master of wood. Impressive start.

Appearance- Much darker than I expected, this chocolately brown ale glugs out of the bottle and supports a brown, creamy finger-thick head that reduces slowly to a thin coating. Dots of lacing sporadically adorn the inside of the glass.

Smell- Almost a blend between a rich, decadent Imperial stout and a superbly aged whiskey... the nose is of chocolate, peat, dark fruit, and malt. Just sitting here with my nose immersed in this beer is a joy.

Taste- Immensely huge and complex, the barrel aging infuses a glorious Highland Park whiskey middle and finish that complements all of the flavors here... initially bitter chocolate, and then a more complex fruitiness. I am loving the peaty wood character that envelops the overall delivery... and the fabulous hop bitterness just seals it. What a great beer.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- A prickly beginning quickly eases and becomes more frothy. It never inhibits or overshadows the masterful array of flavors, rather it fades into the shadows. This is so rich, so deep with complexity that I would love to have more of these on hand for a random nightcap. The havarti cheese pairing proved to be absolutely perfect... one of the best beers in recent memory. (1,464 characters)

Finally, the proper use of scoth in beer. This interpretation is neither like sucking on a tree nor sipping a glass of single malt. The scoth wonderfully compliments the dark ale. The pour is a nice deep black with moderate single fingered white head. The body is smooth and in fine balance with a wonderful nose and lack of pungent aftertaste so typical of scotch barrel aged brews i have had in the past. Koudos to Harviestoun for doing this right, I only wish that I cold afford to drink more of these. (505 characters)

Poured from 330 ml bottle. Poured a jet black color with tan head with great lacing. Smell is incredible mixture of peat, chocolate, dark fruit, and oak. Taste is incredible also with more chocolate, coffee, tobacco, vanilla oak, and just an amazing scotch like iodine aftertaste. Mouthfeel is full body with a creamy carbonation level, my only criticism is that I would liked a thicker stickey mouthfeel. The drinkability is a perfect sipper with the alcohol well refined. If you love single malts scotch and beer than this beer is for you with a great influence of imperial porter mixed with the smokey peaty single malt overtones departed by the time in the scotch barrels. (676 characters)

A- Pours a deep opaque black color with a 1/4 inch tan head that retains slightly before fading to a thick ring around the edge of the glass and minimal surface foam. Crisply textured lacing that slides slowly down the glass.

S- Roasty nose with heavy dark chocolate and a hint of oak. Slight whiff of alcohol and a tad sweet.

T- Flavor starts out roasty but makes an abrupt turn to a bold but smooth oak taste and finishes smokey. The old lady refers to it as a burnt flavor, but it's so much more complex than that. Notes of chocolate, peat, and faint whiskey. Alcohol? Barely noticeable. Not as sweet as in the aroma. Lingering smoke in the aftertaste.

M- Creamy and lush with an amount of prickliness from the smoked malt. Medium carbonation and a full body.

O- So complex and enjoyable. Easy to drink with a delightful melding of dark beer and scotch flavors. Even better than the 12 year which was considerably less smokey. I don't enjoy overly smokey beers but this one has a striking balance. Damn near perfect. (1,110 characters)

Color is almost completely black, with just a bit of brown at the top when held to the light. No head or lacing at all.

Dark malt aroma with a healthy dose of Scotch and wood. Hints of dark chocolate truffles and smokey peat. Rich, full, and inviting.

Flavor is similar to the aroma, but with less of the Scotch coming through. Dark roast malt with chocolate and coffee. Hints of smooth Scotch, smoke, and dark fruit. Has a nice balancing hop flavor and bitterness that doesn't get in the way, but keeps things in check. Finishes with toffee, cocoa powder, and a touch of char. Incredibly balanced and a amazing melding of the flavors.

Medium bodied, smooth and rich with very little carbonation. Alcohol is barely noticeable which is surprising for a barrel aged beer. Impossibly smooth tasting - this is one easy drinking beer that is a struggle to sip and savor.

I love the Scotch character. Not overwhelming like some barrel-aged beers can be. More memorable for me than the 12-Year, and now I can't wait to pop open the 30-yr. Excellent. (1,076 characters)

330ml bottle (#39710 bottled July 2009, drank 9-2-2010) into Duvel tulip. 1 finger tan brown head reduces to a thin layer of bubbles. Looks opaque brown black in the wide balloon tulip, on the pour it looked like soy sauce.

Aroma was initially a hit of soy sauce which disappears after it warmed up a little whereupon raisin takes over, then roasty malt, then alcoholic scotch whisky and a creamy smell, probably vanilla. Taste begins with a sweetly malty entry, then dark chocolate, vanilla and scotch, sweet dark raisin and dates, and finishing with a gentle bitter roastiness. Sooo smooth!

Very low carbonation, medium bodied mouthfeel, maybe a tad lighter than I expected. The long finish was a nice mix of tangy espresso roastiness, light vanilla, scotch whisky, and sweet malt and crusty biscuit.

Though Ola Dubh is based on Old Engine Oil, I much preferred Ola Dubh, maybe because I was somewhat surprised how smooth it compared to what I feel is a certain sharpness or harshness in Old Engine Oil. Not sure I would drink two or more bottles of this at a time, but it's relatively expensive and really, it's probably not meant to be a drink-mass-quantities kinda beer. Complex but everything comes together well and results in a supremely smooth drink. Awesome!

Note: I had the Special Reserve 12 later and enjoyed this 16 more. However, the 12 was bottled 7 months earlier than the 16 and maybe that was part of the difference... (1,441 characters)

Appearance: Pours a viscous, jet-black body with a 1/4" mocha cap. Completely opaque, except around the very edges where wisps of dark brown can be seen amoungst the black abyss.

Smell: A beautiful scotch whiskey scent permeates out of the snifter as soon a pour. Upon further examination, a robust mixture of vanilla, oak, lush milk chocolate, roasted malt and slightly fruity alcohol esters meld together in one incredible nose. Wonderful!

Overall: Well done! I could drink this all day, everyday! Well crafted would be an understatement. Would be great as an after dinner, nightcap or cigar beer. Glad I came across this one! (1,224 characters)

Pours pitch black and completely opaque with a thin .5 finger brown head that quickly fades into a lasting ring. Not much in the way of lacing, just some sporadic small spots.

Strong roasted malt aroma with a decent amount of malt whiskey that doesn't overtake the other aromas. Dark chocolate, roasted coffee bean and roasted nut notes. Again, the aroma is dominated by a deep roasted maltiness but there is a good bit of oak and whiskey to balance things out.

Again the flavor is dominated by a deep roasted maltiness with lots of complexity and bitter dark chocolate flavor. However, they whiskey presence is much more prominent in the flavor than in the aroma. Lots of hot whiskey alcohol warmth but fortunately the other flavors still shine through. Not one-dimensional at all. Plenty of roasted coffee bean, burnt toast, hazelnut and dark chocolate notes. Sligthtly sweet because of the strong alcohol, whiskey and chocolate malt components but is overall nicely balanced with even some subtle hops, resulting in a big beer that is quite drinkable. Recommended. (1,069 characters)

After a vigorous pour, it yields a 1 finger, cappuccino colored head that looks chocolate milk delicious. The color of body shows a completely impenetrable opaque black. After several minutes, the head settles down to a ring with several larger, soapy like bubbles.

It smells of rich vanilla and roasty oak with subtle hints of bittersweet chocolate and dark fruits; not unlike a strong stout.

At the tip of the tongue, there are fruity esters followed by a smooth and mild bitterness showing on the flanks. After the swallow, bittersweet chocolate and vanilla really shine through the nasal cavity with a trace of earthiness from the hops. If another sip is not immediately taken, a faint hotness is detected from the alcohol.

The feel of this delectable treat is near perfect. Medium bodied without a heavy coating left in the mouth.

This is a fantastic beer. From beginning to end is an experience that is a pleasure each step of the way. It's classified as an Old Ale, but I would compare it more with a barrel aged stout. The subtle nuances of the single malt really add to the excellent qualities of the beer to make it more than the sum of its parts. If you haven't tried this yet, definitely seek it out. Recommended. (1,260 characters)

L: Pours a deep black color with a medium to tall sized thick tan colored head that laces the glass nicely on the way down.S: Smells of peat, oak, scotch, sweet roasted malts, hints of caramel, toffee, and chocolate.T: Tastes of a very nice scotch mixed with a really good beer. Oak, peat, and scotch flavors dominate only slightly over a sweet roasted malt base, caramel malts, toffee, chocolate, and a bit of smoke followed by the scotch flavors at the end.M: Rich, smooth, warming, perfect amount of carbonation, kind of heavy, but really nice.D: Overall not a very drinkable beer, but it was a damn good sipping one. Excellent flavors mixed very well made it worth every penny. (685 characters)

This beer was served in a wide mouth goblet. The beer was served lightly chilled.

Appearance: Once more I am a sucker for dark beers. The beer is straight black in color. No ruby opaqueness to light. The head was very thin even with a hard pour. The head is a thin cocoa coloration. Nothing in the way of lacing on the glass.

Smell: This beer has a strong scotch aroma. The scotch aroma is very dominate. The aromas under the scotch are definately subdued by the scotch. Dark roasted malts combine with brown sugar,vanilla, oak, a bit of burnt caramel. The scotch aroma grows greater as the beer warms.

Taste: The flavors of the beer are a bit better combined with the scotch. The beer is a very pleasant combination of brown sugar, molasses, dark well roasted malt. The beer really never hits chared or burnt tones. A bit of dark fruit in the flavor oak, vanilla and an excellent scotch after taste. Yeah its good!...

Mouthfeel/ Drinkability: The body of the beer is very smooth. The carbonation is low but not problematic. The flavors are long lasting. The beer leaves my glass at a dangerously fast pace. I had to force myself to slow down. (1,149 characters)

This is one of my favorite beers. Some of my other favorites are the 12, 18, 30, and 40. I remember the first time, second time,....I had this beer. So lets get to it.

After taking off the fancy foil cap I pour this dark goop out. A little mocha colored head forms but not enough to keep you from drinking and if you wait a minute it is all but gone. This beer smells great. Smells like roasted chocolate. This beer tastes a lot like it smells and more. At first you get the roasted almost smoky chocolate flavor. I can taste the subtle alcohol characteristics from the whiskey casks. The mouth feel is good. This beer feels lighter on my palate than what it appears it would based on its dark color.

I really like this series of beer. They are all very tasty all through the different ages. The base from which they start is really good without the ageing in the whiskey casks so the whiskey really adds that extra character that makes this an award winning brew. If you like dark beers then you owe it to yourself to try this one. (1,036 characters)

Poured into a snifter glass. The beer pours dark brown to black with no head. There's some streaming carbonation that is visible on the side of the glass, but there isn't a lot of it. There are aromas of dark roasted malt, oak, vanilla, and some alcoholic character from the scotch. There's some sweetness from the malt as well as the alcohol. The taste follows the nose for the most part. There's a nice malt backbone that has some dark roastiness and toffee sweetness that mingles with the oak, vanilla, and scotch. Those oak characteristics really blend nicely with the flavors. The body is medium to full with light carbonation. The beer is smooth and drinks pretty well for a bigger beer. This is an excellent beer. (720 characters)

Appearance: A vigorous pour results in a quarter inch tan, bubbly head that dissipates quickly. The color is black as black can be.

Smell: Plenty of complexity here, first there is a sweetness that I relate to cherries, but still somewhat sour. Then there is a strong smokiness that imparts licorice like aromas. Roasted malt and brandy scents dance around together to close out this performance.

Taste: If it's anything like the smell then I'm excited. The strong smokiness mixes perfectly with the dark fruit flavors and roasted malt. Every flavor balances the other out in a very harmonious way. Sweetness is countered quickly by a bitter hop bite and flavor; nothing too radical, but noticeable nonetheless. Finally it finishes clean and smooth with just the right amount of bitter. Each sip instills the desire for another.

Drinkability: For such a delicious, cask-aged brew you'd think it'd be higher than 8% ABV but luckily it is not. I could definitely enjoy another bottle directly after this one, if I had it.

Overall: Simply put, amazing. For a whisky barrel aged beer this is quite refreshing and not too cloying. All the right flavors from the barrel aging are intertwined with the already delicious recipe. This is definitely one to seek out and I will most certainly be trying the other offerings from this brewery. (1,458 characters)

As black as midnight on a moonless night, no head, great aroma.this is a really complex beer, chocolate,caramel, whiskey and dark fruit....gets better the further down the bottle you get.overall an absolutely superb beer, ive got a 30 to try next. (247 characters)

Pours near pitch black with a scant head. Slight brown highlight near the rim if my chalice when held to light. Chocolate twizzler, some date/ fig. Taste follows the smell here. This is a great beer. Dark fruit takes center, malt is sweet but just right, and the burning whiskey lurks behind just right. Smooth sipping. Nice chocolate whiskey-like aftertaste and slight burn. Medium and slick, low carbonation. (413 characters)

Been wanting to try this for a long time, of any vintage barrel, decided on the 16-year at the same price as younger barrels...

A: Poured nearly opaque with the edges a dark translucent brown, but only barely. Two finger dark khaki head, very nice looking beer.

S: Exactly what I'd expect Old Engine Oil that's been sitting in a single-malt barrel to smell like: roasty, big whiff of scotch whiskey, hops come through a little bit, but a solid barreled porter. Excited to taste it.

T: Oh so good. The whiskey is subdued, but certainly there. Char/peat, coffee, chocolate, some indiscript dark fruit in there somewhere, slight bitterness without any distinctive hop flavor, but a balanced sweetness about the whole thing. 11.2 oz. may not be enough.

M: Full but not overly thick. Low-medium carbonation, begs to sit in your mouth a bit before swallowing. Wonderful.

O: Can't wait to try other iterations on this excellent base beer, aged in seemingly perfect barrels for it to take on additional flavor and complexity. Can't believe it's taken so long to suck it up and pay the premium for what is clearly a beer worth its price. (1,138 characters)

Presentation- 11.2oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip. Bottle number and date of bottling on the label. This happened to be Sept of '07.

Appearance- Deep black in color. Does look like used motor oil as stated on the little booklet that comes with the bottle. About a 1/2 inch head on the pour with a light rim remaining. Leaves some spotting and some light lines of lace.

Smell- Mixture of molasses, chocolate, coffee, toffee and caramel. A bit of wood in the nose as well as a hint of alcohol.

Taste- Really reminds me more of a Double Stout than it does an Old Ale. Mildly hoppy finish, lots of caramel and toffee goodness with a large chocolate base. Very flavorful. Woody notes in the finish as well with a minor alcohol addition.

Mouthfeel- Lightly chewy, thick and pretty smooth with a low to medium carbonation level. Wood really comes out in the aftertaste.

Drinkability- Hits much harder than the 8% that it claims. I dreamt of this all night after I finished it, so I'm assuming the drinkability is high. Not sure what I paid, assuming around $8, which was worth it in this case. Maybe I should try the rest of them? (1,186 characters)